BELLOWS FALLS — The Windham & Windsor Housing Trust (WWHT) says its Bellows Falls Garage development downtown has reached “an important and exciting milestone.”
In a news release, WWHT said the project has now secured 90 percent of the project funding.
Settled at the northern end of the village, the now-blighted historic building will be repurposed from a garage to a 26-unit mixed income housing with commercial space on the ground floor.
WWHT says the redevelopment “will provide quality, highly efficient, and healthy housing, including studios, one bedroom and two bedroom apartments with exquisite views of picturesque downtown, the Connecticut River, and historic canal within the walkable downtown of Bellows Falls.”
The Housing Trust looks forward to breaking ground on the development this fall. The project will take about a year.
Within today's context of the COVID-19 pandemic, WWHT says its leadership feels fortunate with the construction schedule and the open-air layout of the building. It views the redevelopment as an opportunity for recovery for the southeast corner of Vermont.
“The existing Bellows Falls Garage building has stood for 100 years at the northern entrance to downtown, and this redevelopment will ensure it provides attractive residential opportunities in a downtown that has seen an economic revitalization for the next 100 years,” said Peter Paggi, WWHT's Director of Housing Development.